Plant for unloading and handling loose solid material

ABSTRACT

A handling apparatus for transferring loose solid material between a ship, a railroad truck or the like and a stocking area and conversely comprising a beam shiftable vertically or obliquely between two uprights so as to span a wet dock or other operative area. The beam carries longitudinally a conveyor feeding a bucket or two buckets operating alternatingly and moving along a vertical path without any lateral shifting, this being allowed by a tiltable part such as a sloping plane which is brought out of a vertical inoperative position into registry with the bucket in its upper position so as to dump the material dropping out of the bucket into a hopper feeding further conveyors.

United States Patent 1151 3,704,796 Dedons et a1. l l Dec. 5, 1972 1541 PLANT FOR UNLOADING AND 717,162 12/1902 Campbell..... ..214/15 0 HANDLING LOOSE SOLID MATERIAL 3,414,143 12/1968 Scott ..214/14 [72] Inventors: Pierre de Demandolx Dedons, Dun- 2750023 6/1956 Melssim "214/ 10X q Gerard Giroud Petite 3,334,759 8/1967 Ludwig ..214/10 y Daniel Delaunay 2,322,504 6/1943 Brandon ..2l4/l4 7 7 kerque, all of France FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS Assigneel' Port Autonome de Dunkerqlle, 615,321 1/1961 Italy ..214/14 k rqu France 802,532 2/1951 Germany ..214/14 2 F] d: I 22 1970 [2 1 I 6 y Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza [2 NW 57,146 Assistant ExaminerFrank E. Werner A ttorr1 ey Christen and Sabol [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT F 9 5 222: A handling apparatus for transferring loose solid 1969 France 6939896 material between a ship, a railroad truck or the like 1969 France ""6940051 and a stocking area and conversely comprising a beam shiftable vertically or obliquely between two uprights [52] U S 214/14 212/3 212/15 so as to span a wet dock or other operative area. The 214/10 4/15 beam carries longitudinally a conveyor feeding a [51] Int Cl B65g 63/00 bucket or two buckets operating alternatingly and l 58] Field l 5 E 622 moving along a vertical path without any lateral shiftl 4 1 ing, this being allowed by a tiltable part such as a sloping plane which is brought out of a vertical inoperative position into registry with the bucket in its upper posi- [56] References Clted' tion so as to dump the material dropping out of the UNITED STATES E S bucket into a hopper feeding further conveyors. 1,396,193 11/1921 Godin ..2l4/l4 40 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures PATENTEDuEc 5 m2 3.704.796

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vm uvw PLANT FOR UNLOADING AND HANDLING LOOSE SOLID MATERIAL The present invention has for its object an improved plant for the handling of solid material, chiefly for hoisting, unloading storing or picking up loose solid material such as coal, ore or the like.

The plants proposed hitherto for this purpose are constituted either by bucket cranes of a conventional type, or by automatic buckets actuated by a winch-carrying carriage fitted on the vertically movable jib of a gantry, said winch-carrying carriage being adapted to move between a location registering vertically with the heap of material to be picked up and a location registering vertically with a hopper distributing the material onto a conveyor belt. In all such cases however, the automatic bucket has to execute a compound rising and translation movement which limits the output of the plant.

The present invention covers a plant for handling loose solid material of the type including a horizontal gantry beam fitted on at least one lateral support and adapted to extend over the heap of material to be picked up, a winch-supporting carriage adapted to move along the beam and provided with at least one automatic bucket adapted to move vertically the material to be picked up between the heap formed by it up to an upper dumping position, said beam and carriage being associated with a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the axis of a beam, while a hopper fed by the bucket feeds into its turn the belt conveyor. According to the invention, the feed hopper is associated with mechanical means, the operation of which is synchronized with the movements of the bucket and allow the bucket when reaching its upper position to be discharged directly into the hopper without any horizontal translational movement of the bucket being required, said mechanical means operating as soon as the bucket has been emptied whereby the bucket is allowed to sink back freely along its vertical path towards the heap of material.

According to a first embodiment, the feed hopper is associated with a movable dumping plane adapted to move between an inoperative vertical position lying to one side of the vertical path of the bucket and an operative position for which the dumping plane forms a slope extending underneath the bucket in its upper position while its lower end registers with the upper opening of the feed hopper.

Preferably, the dumping plane is pivotally secured through its upper section round a stationary axis parallel with the axis of the beam and lying outside the vertical path followed by the bucket, said dumping plane being associated with a jack adapted to shift it angularly between its vertical inoperative position and its operative position for which it forms a slope extending underneath the location of the bucket in its upper position, the jack being associated with means providing for the control of the operation of the dumping plane and of its setting in its operative position as soon as the bucket reaches its upper or dumping position.

Further features and advantages of the invention will appear from the reading of the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of "example various embodiments of said invention, said description being given merely by way of exemplification and by no means in a limiting sense. In said drawings:

FIG. la is an elevational view of a plant according to the invention as intended for the equipment of a wharf in a harbor.

FIG. lb is a perspective view of the plant according to FIG. la.

FIG. 2a is a sectional view through line II-II of FIG. la.

FIG. 3a is a diagrammatic view of a modification wherein the beam rests on a single lateral gantry.

FIG. 3b is a detail view of the winch-supporting carriage illustrated in FIG. 3a.

FIG. 4a is a perspective view of a plant serving a stocking area.

FIG. 4b is an elevational view of the plant illustrated in FIG. 4a.

FIG. 5 is a lateral elevational view of a plant in a harbor, wherein one support of the plant is fitted on a float while the other rests on the wharf.

FIG. 6 is an elevational front view of the plant illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the plant illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 8 is a lateral elevational view of an independent gantry fitted on two floats.

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the floating gantry illustrated in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a harbor plant adapted to unload a ship and associated with a stocking area.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a modified plant including two unloading stations associated with twin stocking areas.

FIG. 12 is a transverse sectional view through line XII-XII of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a detail sectional view of the wall incorporated with the plant illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of a winch adapted to operate two buckets in a plant according to the invention.

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of a modified form of hopper.

FIG. 16 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 2 of another modified form of hopper.

Turning to FIGS. 1a and lb, two gantries I and 2 run on runways 3, 3', the gantry I resting through four feet on runways carried by a landing stage 5 and the gantry 2 resting through 3 feet on runways fitted on the wharf 4 on which material is to be dumped said landing stage 5 forming with the adjacent wharf a wet dock 6 defining the anchoring berth for a ship 7 to be unloaded.

A transverse beam 8 carried by the two gantries interconnects them rigidly together said beam including a stayed skeleton may move vertically between the gantries and to this end the beam is suspended to cable the systems 9 and 9' controlled by two winches carried at the upper ends of the gantries and associated with counterweights 10 and 10. When operative, the transverse beam 8 rests on a rack system which is not illustrated. It is apparent that the transverse beam extends over the wet dock 6 in overhanging relationship with reference to the ship 7 in her unloading berth.

The transverse beam 8 extends beyond the gantry 2 on the wharf, so as to extend over a stocking area or a preliminary stocking area.

5571 Pl-Ql h t d; a

' out of the s ip 51; p and z movements of the; buckets, the; hopper 35 lies Ina medialpositiori iis' ahd wherrone'of the bucketsis in its uppermostposition, the hoppe r'en ters a 4 FlG. 2 is a"detail sectionalwiewvdfithe-transverse iii'i Acordir'igitozthe(variant?shown'gjp BIG; ,,-,the

beam 8 provided with the hoisting and unloading apwi l.

" The beam' is p rovid'ed on" its lupp'erT surfaceiwith two lateral raceways 20 and 20' formed in thercasefillusti'a'ted' by rziilS'conwhichthewinch-supporting carriage 21 bears. The winch 22 on said carriage contr'o'l'sitwo picking up buck'etsgfithe" bucketz23; being illustrated in ally iunderneathsthe beam Sandadapted to convey; the

loose material, poured continuously out-of; th e hopper byathe'extracting mechanism {2 61towards one end of the beam 8, for instance towards the prelim ra edpn he hartf w:M q,

inary sta k n movementsof'the latter and: to ,lirnit the hpi sting pperation to a mere linear vertical movement of the buckets. In e lo 3 19. the; uck t lQfiFPiY: 1 1 3 1? im- P thus located in another vertical plane, there is provided 1 adump s p ns 17 waiy ally sursdl. t 2,5 abrig upper edge and controlled it between an inoperativev vertical position freein the passage provided for the bucltetsand anoperative posits upper portionso asto form h h the material discharged out of returned into its oper ative position "as soon "as the vbucket has been raisedinto its discharging position.

imita i n f' h i W- FIG v3a 5531531 7 illustrate m tion accbrd irj'gfto' i'cli the p hoppers; During'theup vard position underneath isaid is o a sg f to collect the material As soon a'stthe bucket jemptyQtlie hopper '0" its intermediate inoperative position 35 v 'ifree'ing th''doiivrivvardly directed pathof theb'i'rcket; An

N eic t r'acting mechanism dischargestheconten'ts of the hopper onto the Belt conveybr 42 which in its turn; "feeds the material oii to the conveyor 43 QAfiirther; conveypr 44km ccfupy two'po'sitions ia rcedin'g' position on'theYight-hand side for which it allows the mat'rial dropffreely fliecoiive'yorj43into the hopper 41 left and projecting "position said cons the material off thd'conveyor 43 so as ysrbgak'so. I The winehsupporting"fcarriage T 34 carrying-the o buckets pour material I being 1.251 "the dr' spam hopper 560 is madei toiroc'k .aboutgan axis 561 positioned in its base and thus suitable for presenting, in inclined position, litsf upper opening 562,- beneathithe buclet 564 in dumping. position; the pivo'tingQhopper heing assoeiatedwith a; maneuvering :jack 53 vcjcmtrolled by the movement' of the'bucket 564and suitable fo'r bridging the hopper into inelinedor dumpingpjosi- 3 tion 56( when me bucket arrives in'high 'positio'nyand forretu'rriing'tlielfopper in vertical position 560' after dumping'brme biick t husclearing the verticalpath bf the'biicketi 1:: ""FlGi lb s'hbw's variant'ofithe installation';win which the Beam-630 is airially slidable on the? gears": 63 1; 632, =633a'nd 634- 56 a's to allbw th buckjets fi llm overhang ftlie eapbfim ship' s hold the hopper-640 is common to e tv'vo biicke'ts 'bf which bucketfifl'is shown in high posit'idr'n the-other bucket i iii low position not visible in the drawings. The hopper 640 is supby an aitii la cfidumgiqg"plane, constituted by ftwo pari'els f6 42 aiid643, articulated at 644and-645. The; closed 'pahls ause th product to" *slide "iIi I the fhdpper64tif Each pain li'sino'vd by'a' jack (not show-n I n gsl eoritrblledby the movement 'of the I i U itliefpanlsj 'bing placdin p u wick t; "b ra i p nelssq an p tsy'assbon as ih'btickei ha sa'rrive'd immediately pjreeedingthedumping has terminated, the a sitio'ri'ofpanelsfi tfand 643' llowfree'downward passafiei'ofthebuket hat plant according tothe "invenigbmplete f chaiig' in ""uriloading y'iii plants erec'ted'in harbors. f improved p ant cuts out the merits f are iiickihgup buckets and siiiglefsimple and linearly v, v mqvv n l j the b j between a lower ma'terlalpicking up'posit ion arid the which allows muciii time to on and increases to a coneld of each bucket, the operative hie liar}: muchrnore niufn e rou s. i

h nip roved plant according to the in- QWS, Y h oughY hpositisn n i fi' starli h ?tabsh n led? etiuckq's nking h n wi h a sb t s ll irexpeiiditiire ofenergy. I i l n IGs 1 a id 4mm invention serves a sltocliing area. 1134 yin th hs! P mi'ay' -fsh aped' taste Pf 1 mg to flickers iiifayflbe "shifted together with the hopper. f throughout 't h'e l'e'ri'gth'of'the "beams between -.their,=forfl d an a plant rfiay pic'k up material off the p'reliminariy stockagnay bf 'tli'e" hopper 41 the extracting mechaniism 49 zanda-the samesis the case for the siipport ;ll9 of a and feedsf'it 611m; th'e' cdnveyor 44 which finally removes he material brim the conveyor-47 through the" reduced size at the otherend of beam said bp- 1 posite' support resting on a lateral wall The beam 1- 13 provided with; its winch-supporting, earriage; and

and the belt conveyor 46. 

1. A plant for handling loose solid material resting on a support comprising a horizontal gantry beam, at least one lateral support carrying said beam and adapted to overhand the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin buckets and means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket at least one picking up bucket suspended to said winch to be moved along a vertical path between the support of the material and an upper dumping position, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor and mechanical means operating in synchronism with the movements of the bucket and adapted to dump the material carried by the bucket in its upper position out of the latter directly into the hopper without any horizontal translational movement of the bucket, said mechanical means collapsing at the end of the dumping of the material thereby to free the vertical path followed by the bucket.
 2. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical means are constituted by a dumping plane adapted to move between a vertical inoperative position to one side of the vertical path of the bucket and an operative position wherein said dumping plane forms a slope extending underneath the bucket in its upper position and the lower end of which registers with the upper end of the feed hopper.
 3. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical means control the rocking of the hopper round an axis extending along its lower edge to make its upper opening lie underneath the bucket in its upper dumping position, said rocking being controlled by the movements of the bucket to set the Hopper in its sloping position whenever the bucket reaches its upper position, the hopper returning into its vertical position after the bucket has been dumped
 4. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical means include a dumping plane pivotally secured in its upper section round a stationary axis lying in parallelism with the axis of the gantry beam outside the vertical path followed by the bucket, a jack adapted to shift the dumping plane angularly out of its vertical inoperative position into an operative position for which it forms a slope extending underneath the bucket in its upper position, and means controlling the jack so that when the bucket reaches its upper dumping position, the dumping plane enters its operative position.
 5. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the beam includes a metal reinforcement, said plant including furthermore winches adapted to shift vertically the beam along its lateral supports.
 6. A plant as claimed in claim 1 intended for erection between a wharf and a float for cooperation with a stocking area, wherein one beam support re sts on an unloading wharf and the beam extends beyond said support to feed directly the stocking area, the other support of the beam resting on the float.
 7. A plant as claimed in claim 1 comprising running gears for the beam to allow its movements alongside a stocking area.
 8. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the beam includes a sloping section adapted to adjustably rock round a pivotal axis on a lateral gantry support.
 9. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the heights of the beam supports are different, the shorter support resting on a wall running along a stocking area.
 10. A plant as claimed in claim 1 wherein the heights of the beam supports are different, the shorter support resting on a wall running along a stocking area, and including two feet for the higher support forming two V-shaped parts lying in oblique planes parallel with the axis of the gantry beam, the apex of each V being pivotally carried by a running gear and the ends of the corresponding upper arms of the V''s being connected together and pivotally secured to the lower surface of the beam.
 11. A plant as claimed in claim 1 including running gears for the beam, the beam supports being provided with slopes extending symmetrically in transverse registry with each other to carry said running gears, thereby to provide the beam with a path oblique with reference to horizontality.
 12. A plant as claimed in claim 1 including running gears for the beam, the beam supports being provided with slopes extending symmetrically in transverse registry with each other to carry said running gears thereby to provide the beam with a path oblique with reference to horizontality, means conveying the material to be handled from the level assumed by the conveyor on the beam onto which the material is dumped down to a lower position.
 13. A plant as claimed in claim 1 adapted for use between a wharf and a float in a harbor for loading and/or unloading ships carrying loose material wherein one beam support includes a running gear allowing it to move along the wharf and the other support rests on the float.
 14. A plant as claimed in claim 1 adapted for use between a wharf and a float in a harbor for loading and/or unloading ships carrying loose material wherein one beam support includes a running gear allowing it to move along the wharf and the other support rests on the float and ballasting means adapted to compensate automatically the modifications in the load of the plant and in the level of the water carrying the float.
 15. A plant as claimed in claim 1 adapted for use between a wharf and a float in a harbor for loading and/or unloading ships carrying loose material wherein one beam support includes a running gear allowing it to move along the wharf and the other support rests on the float and superposed auxiliary beams pivotally secured at one end to the first-mentioned upright and at their other end to thE second upright.
 16. A plant as claimed in claim 1 resting on two floats wherein the supports are carried each by a float and are rigidly interconnected across their upper ends.
 17. In combination with two plants as claimed in claim 1 for cooperation with a stocking area confined by a wall and with transportation means respectively, the provision of a conveyor carried by said wall and adapted to interconnect the two plants.
 18. In combination with two plants as claimed in claim 1 for cooperation with a stocking area confined by awall and with transportation means respectively the provision of a conveyor carried by said wall and adapted to interconnect the two plants, said confining wall being made of reinforced earth.
 19. In combination with two plants as claimed in claim 1 for cooperation with a stocking area confined by a wall and with transportation means respectively, the provision of a plurality of longitudinal parallel conveyors carried by said wall and adapted to interconnect the two plants, said confining wall being made of reinforced earth.
 20. In combination with two plants as claimed in claim 1 for cooperation with a stocking area confined by a wall and with transportation means respectively, the provision of a conveyor carried by said wall and adapted to interconnect the two plants and means incorporated with the first plant for loading a ship with the material picked up from the stocking area and conveyed by said longitudinal conveyor.
 21. In combination with two plants claimed in claim 1 for cooperation with two stocking areas, the provision of a wall separating the two stocking areas and comprising a raceway along each edge carrying each one of the supports of the corresponding beam and a plurality of belt conveyors cooperating with the conveyors on each beam to serve transportation means.
 22. A plant as claimed in claim 1 comprising means for reversing the direction of progression of the conveyor.
 23. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, at least one lateral support carrying said beam and adapted to overhang the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin bucks, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, and mechanical means operating in synchronism with the movements of each bucket and adapted to dump the material carried by the bucket in its upper position out of the latter directly into the hopper without any horizontal translational movement of the bucket, said mechanical means collapsing at the end of the dumping of the material thereby to free the vertical path followed by the bucket.
 24. A plant as claimed in claim 23 comprising two pivoting hoppers, each of them is associated with one bucket, mechanical means controlling the rocking of said hoppers around an axis extending along the lower edge thereof to make its upper opening lie underneath the corresponding bucket in its upper dumping position, said rocking being controlled by the movements of the bucket to set the corresponding hopper in its sloping position whenever the bucket reaches its upper position, the hopper returning into its vertical position after the bucket has been dumped.
 25. A plant as claimed in claim 23 wherein the mechanical means include a dumping plane pivotally secured in its upper section round a stationary axis lying in parallelism with the axis of the gantry beam outside the vertical path followed by the bucket, a jack adapted to shift the dumping plane angularly out of its vertical inoperative position into an operative position for which it forms a slope extending underneath the bucket in its upper position, and means controlling the jack so that when the bucket reaches its upper dumpinG position, the dumping plane enters its operative position.
 26. A plant as claimed in claim 23, wherein the mechanical means include a dumping plane for each bucket, each dumping plane being made of one lower pivoting panel articulated by its lower edge to the upper edge of the hopper and of one upper pivoting panel articulated by its upper edge to the carriage, a jack associated with each panel and adapted to move it synchronously with the movement of the corresponding bucket, both upper and lower panels forming, when put in register with each other, a single dumping plane directing the material falling from the bucket towards the hopper and being adapted to disappear angularly to free the vertical path of the bucket.
 27. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, at least on lateral support carrying said beam, the beam being adapted to move axially, a winch carried by said beam, twin buckets, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, a portal astride the hopper and from which the buckets are suspended, two pivoting lower dumping panels articulated by their base on the hopper and two pivoting upper dumping panels articulated by their upper edge on said portal, each lower pivoting dumping panel being associated with one of the upper pivoting dumping panels situated on the same side of the hopper, the installation further comprising mechanical means operating in synchronism with the movements of the buckets and adapted to put both upper and lower panels in register with each other in a substantially common plane so as to form a single disappearing plane disposed underneath the bucket in high position and directing the material falling from the bucket towards the hopper, the lower and upper panels being adapted angularly to disappear so as to free the vertical path of the corresponding bucket.
 28. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, adapted to overhang the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin buckets, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, wherein the beam rests on two lateral supports, the heights of which are different, the shorter support resting on a wall running along a stocking area the higher support comprising two feet forming two V shaped parts lying in oblique planes parallel with the axis of the gantry beam, the apex of each V being pivotally carried by a running gear and the ends of the corresponding upper arms of the V''s being connected together and pivotally secured to the lower surface of the beam.
 29. A plant as claimed in claim 28 including means conveying the material to be handled from the level, assumed by the conveyor on the beam onto which the material is dumped, down to a lower position.
 30. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, two lateral supports carrying said beam and adapted to overhang the material to e picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage twin buckets, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, wherein said beam comprises running gears, the beam supports being provided with slopes extending symmetrically in transverse registry with each other to carry Said running gears, thereby to provide the beam with a path oblique with reference to horizontality.
 31. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, two lateral supports carrying said beam and adapted to overhang the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin buckets means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor the plant being adapted for use between the wharf and a float in a harbor for loading and/or unloading ships carrying loose material and wherein one beam support includes a running gear allowing it to move along the wharf and the other support rests on the float, both supports being secured together by two superposed auxiliary beams pivotally secured at one end to the first-mentioned support and at their other end to the second support, both superposed auxiliary beams forming an articulated parallelogram thus allowing the floating support to be firmly secured to the other support yet following the movement of the tide.
 32. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, two lateral supports carrying said beam and adapted to overhang the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin buckets, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, wherein the supports are carried each by a float and are rigidly interconnected across their upper ends and are provided with carrier slopes adapted to make the beam assure a rising and sinking movement, the plant including furthermore an auxiliary outwardly projecting conveyor adapted to make the material dumped by the conveyor on the beam progress towards the lower end of the slope thereby serve transportation means.
 33. A double stocking area comprising two twin plants for handling loose solid material each plant comprising a horizontal gantry beam, two lateral supports carrying said beam and adapted to overhand the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin buckets, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, wherein the stocking area is divided in two parts, each of them being served by one plant, by a central wall made of reinforced earth.
 34. A plant for handling loose solid material resting on a support comprising a horizontal gantry beam, at least one lateral support carrying said beam and adapted to overhang the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, said winch controlling twin buckets moving synchronously in opposite directions and the weights of which when empty balance each other, said winch including at least two drums controlling each one of the twin buckets, a common driving shaft, a sun and planet gear driven by said shaft and controlling in alternation the movement and the locking of the two drums, at least one picking up bucket suspended to said winch to be moved along a vertical path between the support of the material and an upper dumping position, a belt conveyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor and mechanical means operating in synchronism with the movements of the bucket anD adapted to dump the material carried by the bucket in its upper position out of the latter directly into the hopper without any horizontal translational movement of the bucket, said mechanical means collapsing at the end of the dumping of the material thereby to free the vertical path followed by the bucket.
 35. A plant as claimed in claim 34 wherein said winch comprises four drums controlling respectively the rising and sinking movement of one bucket, the rising and sinking movements of another bucket, the opening and closing movements of the one bucket and the opening and closing movements of the other bucket, a driving shaft and sun and planet gears through which the driving shaft constrains the drums to be driven and locked selectively.
 36. A plant as claimed in claim 34 wherein said winch comprises four drums controlling respectively the rising and sinking movements of one bucket, the rising and sinking movements of another bucket, the opening and closing movements of the one bucket and the opening and closing movements of the other bucket, a driving shaft and sun and planet gears including each a planet carrier rigid with the corresponding drum and a first sunwheel controlled by the driving shaft and locking means associated with each other sunwheel and with each drum and controlled so the locking of each other sunwheel is associated with the release of the corresponding drum and conversely.
 37. A plant as claimed in claim 34 wherein said winch comprises four drums controlling respectively the rising and sinking movements of one bucket, the rising and sinking movements of another bucket, the opening and closing movements of the one bucket, and the opening and closing movements of the other bucket, a driving shaft, two speed reducing toothed wheels driven by the driving shaft in diametrically opposed positions with reference thereto and sun and planet gears including each a planet carrier rigid with the corresponding drum and a first sunwheel controlled by the toothed wheel corresponding to the pair of drums to be considered and locking means associated with each other sunwheel and with each drum and controlled so that the locking of each other sunwheel is associated with the release of the corresponding drum and conversely.
 38. A plant as claimed in claim 34 wherein said winch comprises four pairwise aligned drums controlling respectively the rising and sinking movements of one bucket, the rising and sinking movements of another bucket, the opening and closing movements of one bucket and the opening and closing movements of the other bucket, a driving shaft and sun and planet gears through which the driving shaft constrains the drums to be driven and locked selectively.
 39. A plant as claimed in claim 34 wherein said winch comprises four drums controlling respectively the rising and sinking movements of one bucket, the rising and sinking movements of another bucket, the opening and closing movements of the one bucket and the opening and closing movements of the other bucket, a driving shaft, two speed reducing toothed wheels driven by the driving shaft in diametrically opposed positions with reference thereto and sun and planet gears including each a planet carrier rigid with the corresponding drum and a first sunwheel controlled by the toothed wheel corresponding to the pair of drums to be considered and remotely controlled brakes associated with each other sunwheel and with each drum and controlled so that the locking of each other sunwheel is associated with the release of the corresponding drum and conversely.
 40. A plant for handling loose solid material comprising a horizontal gantry beam, at least one lateral support carrying said beam and adapted to overhang the material to be picked up, a carriage adapted to move alongside said beam, a winch carried by said carriage, twin buckets, means whereby the winch controls the movements of each of the two buckets synchronously and in opposite directions with reference to the other bucket, a belt convEyor extending in parallelism with the beam, a movable hopper fed by each bucket in its upper position and feeding the belt conveyor, mechanical means controlling the shifting of the hopper along a line parallel with the axis of the beam between an operative position lying underneath the bucket in its upper dumping position and an inoperative position lying out of vertical registry with the vertical path followed by the bucket, said shifting being controlled in unison with the movements of the bucket to set the hopper in its operative position whenever the bucket reaches its upper position and to return the hopper into its inoperative position away from said vertical path after the bucket has been dumped. 